This dairy-free, paleo kale Caesar salad is a nutritious rendition of the classic with dark green leafy greens, soft-boiled eggs and cherry tomatoes. I also like to add a few grilled onions for sweetness.
Friends who know me well would tell you that one of my all-time favourite dishes is a Caesar salad. But not just any kind of Caesar – it has to be good, with just the right amount of dressing, anchovies, of course, crispy bacon, soft egg and so on.
Lately, I’ve been making a lot of homemade Caesar with kale because I’ve been trying to incorporate more leafy greens in my diet. This recipe is my yummy, nourishing and paleo-friendly kale Caesar salad version.
DAIRY-FREE VERSION NOTES
Nutritional yeast is used instead of Parmesan cheese for a dairy-free version. Essentially, nutritional yeast is an inactive yeast made from sugar cane and beet molasses that has no leavening ability. It comes in a form of light yellow flakes that have a cheesy, umami flavour and is high in B-group vitamins. It can be purchased at most health food stores and online. For those who tolerate dairy, grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese can be used as well.
HOW TO PREPARE KALE FOR A SALAD
You can use kale or cavolo nero for this paleo Caesar salad. As a leafy green, kale has a much firmer, chewier texture and you need to soften it slightly to make it easier to digest and to have a more pleasant bite. That’s when kale massaging comes into play. Simply season the chopped kale with a little bit of salt and lemon juice and use your hands to squeeze the leaves for 30 seconds or so. This will break down some of the fibres, making the leaves softer and less chewy.
PS. Bacon can be replaced with fried mushrooms and grilled chicken can be added for extra protein.
MORE RECIPES WITH DARK LEAFY GREENS
- Grilled Shrimp Caesar Salad
- Cavolo Nero & Corn Fritters With Spicy Aioli
- Homemade Burgers With Sauteed Kale & Sweet Potatoes
- Cajun Grilled Salmon & Kale Superfood Salad
- Check out my Salad A Day eBook here
Paleo Kale Caesar Salad With Cherry Tomatoes
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Tossed
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This nutritious paleo Caesar salad with kale, cherry tomatoes and soft-boiled eggs can be served as a main dish or as a side dish. This salad recipe is for 4 servings (or 2 large ones) so feel free to adjust the ingredients as you need.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil or olive oil
- 10 rashers of bacon
- 1 large onion, peeled and sliced thinly
- A large bunch of kale or cavolo nero (Tuscan cabbage) leaves
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- A pinch of salt
- 4 whole eggs
- A punnet of cherry tomatoes, halved
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes (see notes above)
For the dressing
- 4 anchovies, chopped finely
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons almond milk
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper to taste
To serve: extra anchovy fillets if you like
Instructions
- Fill up a small saucepan with water and bring to boil. Add eggs to boiling water and cook for 6 minutes. Strain and rinse under cold water and peel.
- Heat oil in a large frying pan. Add bacon rashers and cook for a couple of minutes on each side, until crispy. Remove to a chopping board.
- Add sliced onion to the frying pan and cook for a few minutes, until softened and lightly golden. Season with a little salt.
- While bacon, onion and eggs are cooking, prepare the kale. Tear the leaves away from the stalks and slice very thinly. Add to a large bowl and drizzle with lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Massage the leaves with your hands, this will soften the fibres and make kale less chewy.
- Prepare the dressing by combining all ingredients in a small bowl.
- Slice bacon rashers into small piece and add to the kale together with the salad dressing and toss through using your hands or tongs, until well incorporated and the kale is evenly coated.
- Then add cooked onion, cherry tomatoes and nutritional yeast (or grated Parmesan) and toss through gently. Serve in bowls topped with halved egg and an extra anchovy or two.
Notes
I used black kale, also known as cavolo nero or Tuscan cabbage, but you can use regular kale or any other dark leafy greens. The anchovy flavour in the dressing is quite subtle but feel free to reduce the amount or omit it altogether.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 cups
- Calories: 479
- Sugar: 5.5 g
- Sodium: 883.8 mg
- Fat: 39.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 11 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Fiber: 3.2 g
- Protein: 18.8 g
- Cholesterol: 233 mg
SAVE THIS KALE CAESAR TO PINTEREST FOR LATER
What is a bacon rasher?
A strip of bacon http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacon 🙂